Cauvery body: Tamil Nadu seeks full-time chief

TNN | Dec 9, 2018, 10.34 AM IST

CHENNAI: After getting a favourable verdict from the Supreme Court in February to have a permanent mechanism to resolve the Cauvery water dispute, the Tamil Nadu government on Saturday moved the Supreme Court again seeking directions to the Union ministry of water resources to appoint an “independent person” as full-time chairman of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), a statutory body. It also sought appointment of full-time members to the CWMA.

The move comes two days after the Tamil Nadu assembly came down heavily on the Central Water Commission chairman, who is also holding additional charge of CWMA chairman, for giving clearance to Karnataka to prepare a detailed project report for the contentious Mekedatu reservoir project without the consent of the Tamil Nadu government, a lower riparian state. Tamil Nadu also filed a contempt petition against the CWC chairman and Karnataka government for violation of the SC order on the Cauvery dispute. The functions of the CWMA, as per the court order, include exercise of power to monitor the storage, apportionment and regulation and control of the Cauvery waters.

In its petition, Tamil Nadu said the project appraisal directorate of the Central Water Commission had entertained the feasibility report submitted by Karnataka and given a go-ahead for preparing a detailed report. “There is every likelihood that conflict of interest would arise in the discharge of dual functions being done by the chairman, CWC, which would not be in the interest of the smooth functioning” of the CWMA and proper implementation of the SC judgment, Tamil Nadu said.

In the second meeting of the CWMA on December 3, Tamil Nadu submitted its objections to the CWC’s nod to Karnataka. The nod was given by the director, project appraisal directorate, functioning under the CWC chairman. However, the CWMA chairman took a stand that apart from recording Tamil Nadu’s objections in the meeting, the CWMA would not ask the CWC to retract on Mekedatu. According to TN, the project appraisal directorate had no role to play in examining the project. It was infringing on the rights of the CWMA, Tamil Nadu argued.

Even after six months from the date of constitution of the CWMA, the authority is yet to be fully functional. The delay in posting a full-time chairman and members has affected the objective for which the SC and tribunal prescribed the Cauvery scheme. Incidentally, Tamil Nadu government had to move a contempt petition in March this year to get the Cauvery Water Management Scheme notified by the Union government.